LOCKDOWNS WORK:

"For some people, they figured out I actually can work fewer hours and produce more," Petersen tells NPR's Morning Edition. "And so I think what companies have to be thinking about is: How do we keep our workers in that high level of productivity while also figuring out a schedule that allows people to have that collaborative space when and if they need it or want it?"

Interview Highlights

On why the office isn't productive for everyone

There is a lot of waste inherent to going into the office. Some of that is just the commute, right? But I think people also forget that the office required a lot of sitting around and being in your chair when you didn't need to be. And a lot of it too is just like hanging out with co-workers. That's part of the great part. It's part of what people really miss, but it's also not necessarily getting work done. [...]

On how managers keep tabs on their remote employees and the skill of successfully managing remote workers

I think a lot of this has to do with managers feeling very insecure about how to manage. And I don't necessarily think that this is a character flaw or that there's ill intent. Historically, managing has involved surveillance of some sort, like eyes on the people that you are managing, seeing them every single day in the office or seeing when they come and leave, how they interact with other people. It's been a very physical act.

So I think that a lot of managers are hoping that if employees come back into the office, then managing will get easier and also that their jobs as managers will become more visible, the work that they're doing will be more tangible and easier to ascertain to value.

So I think that companies who are moving into this more flexible and remote style have to really be thinking about: What does management look like? What does good remote management look like? It's not something that you can say, "Oh, I've just been doing it for these last 18 months. I know how to do it." It's a real skill.

And the other thing too is, I think especially people who are in power in organizations and whose job really is to kind of walk around and just like, check on people: They want to feel that power again. They want to feel like they are doing a good job. And the way that they know that they are doing a good job is by walking around. And that's not enough reason to make an entire organization come back into the office.

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